Oak Grove Elementary School

Oak Grove Elementary School in Paragould, AR, serves 270 students in grades 2 through 4 and is part of the Paragould School District, a district where all elementary schools have a 100% free/reduced lunch rate, indicating a student body with very high economic need.

Oak Grove is a school on the rise, achieving its highest ranking in years at the 60th percentile (3 stars) in the most recent data. It excels in English Language Arts (48.4% proficient) and Science (51.3% proficient), significantly outperforming both the state and its in-district peer, Baldwin Elementary School. In fact, Oak Grove’s Science score is the highest among all elementary schools in the Paragould district. However, the school has a notable weakness in Mathematics (36.2% proficient), which falls below both the district and state averages. This is a critical area of concern, especially in 4th grade, where math scores are 12 points below the state average. While Oak Grove is performing well compared to other high-poverty schools in its district, it still lags behind schools in more affluent neighboring districts, such as Brookland Elementary School (93rd percentile) in the Brookland School District.

Despite high per-student spending ($12,351), Oak Grove has a higher student-teacher ratio (18.7:1) than its in-district peers, suggesting funds may not be used to reduce class sizes. The school’s recent dramatic turnaround—jumping from the 34th percentile to the 60th percentile—is the most significant positive shift among nearby schools. This success, however, is fragile and uneven. The school’s 3rd graders consistently outperform the state in ELA and Science, but performance drops in 4th grade, indicating a possible transition challenge. The primary strategic imperative for Oak Grove is to address its math weakness to ensure its positive momentum continues.